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Sunrise, sunset: Beautiful skies abound

Richard Mann, a DeLeon Springs-based professional photographer, said he always heads out with his camera when the clouds are like they were on Monday. He captured this photo over Lake Dias, just north of DeLeon Springs, on Monday evening.

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The sunrises Monday and Tuesday were "really beautiful," said Robyn DeZego, who snapped a photo Monday, and commented on a sunrise photo posted on the Flagler Beach Pier's Facebook page.

"I'm taking these with an iPhone," DeZego said. "If they're that beautiful with an iPhone, you know they're pretty rocking."

Monday's sunset "was incredible," said Chris Herbster, an associate professor and director of science and technology for the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Weather Center. "I stopped and gawked at it for a while."

Unlike most residents, who just stop to appreciate the array of colors, Herbster understands precisely why the brilliant colors are splayed across the sky. On Monday, Herbster said the twice daily aerial color shows are a result of the right combination of atmospheric conditions.

For starters, he said, the sunrises and sunsets are more colorful if the air is relatively dry down low, which happens often at this time of year.

Also, at this time of year, the path the sun travels in relation to the horizon changes, he said. "That's very noticeable here in Florida."

In the spring and summer, when the sun rises and sets directly perpendicular to the horizon, sunrises and sunsets are short-lived, he said. In the winter, the angle is less perpendicular, so twilight lasts longer because it takes longer for the sun to drop below the horizon than it does in the summer.

The longer the sun takes to rise above the horizon or sink below the horizon, Herbster said, the longer it takes for the atmospheric color separations to take place.

"As the sun goes below (the horizon), first the blue light is gone and we see all the red, orange, yellow and green still," Herbster said. "As the sun gets lower, all the green is gone and we're left with red, orange and yellow. Then, just before dark, all we have left is red."

It also helps when there are clouds aloft, said Tony Cristaldi, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Melbourne.

Cristaldi said he has noticed enough "middle and high cloudiness — altocumulus, altostratus, cirrus, cirrostratus and "even some cirrocumulus clouds – to produce the very colorful sunrises and sunsets."

When the sun is way below the horizon, those clouds high above the surface are still being illuminated by the sunlight as it bends over the horizon.

Cristaldi said the presence of moisture and ice in the clouds further increases the scattering of light as the sun's rays filter through the atmosphere.

Richard Mann, a DeLeon Springs-based photographer, was at Lake Dias on Monday night.

"I look for these kinds of clouds, because I know the sun is going to make pretty colors on the bottom of them," Mann said Tuesday. Sometimes his wife will be driving somewhere and call him. "My wife will call and say 'Hey, have you seen the clouds?' Then I go look for a place to take photos."

<p>Stunning photos have flown through the social media network this week as local residents paused to appreciate amazing sunrises and sunsets with cellphones and cameras in hand. </p><p>The sunrises Monday and Tuesday were "really beautiful," said Robyn DeZego, who snapped a photo Monday, and commented on a sunrise photo posted on the Flagler Beach Pier's Facebook page. </p><p>"I'm taking these with an iPhone," DeZego said. "If they're that beautiful with an iPhone, you know they're pretty rocking." </p><p>Monday's sunset "was incredible," said Chris Herbster, an associate professor and director of science and technology for the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Weather Center. "I stopped and gawked at it for a while." </p><p>Unlike most residents, who just stop to appreciate the array of colors, Herbster understands precisely why the brilliant colors are splayed across the sky. On Monday, Herbster said the twice daily aerial color shows are a result of the right combination of atmospheric conditions. </p><p>For starters, he said, the sunrises and sunsets are more colorful if the air is relatively dry down low, which happens often at this time of year. </p><p>Also, at this time of year, the path the sun travels in relation to the horizon changes, he said. "That's very noticeable here in Florida." </p><p>In the spring and summer, when the sun rises and sets directly perpendicular to the horizon, sunrises and sunsets are short-lived, he said. In the winter, the angle is less perpendicular, so twilight lasts longer because it takes longer for the sun to drop below the horizon than it does in the summer. </p><p>The longer the sun takes to rise above the horizon or sink below the horizon, Herbster said, the longer it takes for the atmospheric color separations to take place. </p><p>"As the sun goes below (the horizon), first the blue light is gone and we see all the red, orange, yellow and green still," Herbster said. "As the sun gets lower, all the green is gone and we're left with red, orange and yellow. Then, just before dark, all we have left is red." </p><p>It also helps when there are clouds aloft, said Tony Cristaldi, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Melbourne. </p><p>Cristaldi said he has noticed enough "middle and high cloudiness &mdash; altocumulus, altostratus, cirrus, cirrostratus and "even some cirrocumulus clouds – to produce the very colorful sunrises and sunsets." </p><p>When the sun is way below the horizon, those clouds high above the surface are still being illuminated by the sunlight as it bends over the horizon. </p><p>Cristaldi said the presence of moisture and ice in the clouds further increases the scattering of light as the sun's rays filter through the atmosphere. </p><p>Richard Mann, a DeLeon Springs-based photographer, was at Lake Dias on Monday night. </p><p>"I look for these kinds of clouds, because I know the sun is going to make pretty colors on the bottom of them," Mann said Tuesday. Sometimes his wife will be driving somewhere and call him. "My wife will call and say 'Hey, have you seen the clouds?' Then I go look for a place to take photos."</p>